Did Pat Perez make a kid cry? [UPDATE]: Local Knowledge: Golf Digest

Did Pat Perez make a kid cry? [UPDATE]

Monday, August 8, 2011

Pat Perez played his way into contention on Sunday at the Reno Tahoe Open, but his actions off the course are grabbing headlines.

After missing three putts within 10 feet on the final three holes, Perez finished with a four-under 68 and one shot behind the leader, Scott Piercy, who was playing behind him in the final group. Perez signed his scorecard and returned to the 18th green to see if Piercy could hold onto his lead. Indeed, Piercy made a seven-foot par putt to claim his first win on the PGA Tour.

Perez was visibly frustrated. As he walked off the green, he ignored a young boy who was asking for an autograph. (The PGA Tour has since removed a 15-second YouTube video of the incident.) The boy seemed so upset, he apparently cried. (But was he just joking?)

Perez apologized via Twitter on Monday: "Yeah. Was a dick move. I apologize for my actions. Had a lot of emotions going yesterday when I got done. Unprofessional." But Golf Digest's Senior Editor Mike Stachura isn't interested in a public apology; he'd rather see Perez apologize to the upset kid.

So we want to know: Who was that kid? Can we find him to see if he really was crying?

UPDATE: On Monday, Perez asked his 14,000+ Twitter followers to help him find the boy: "Everyone. Someone please help me find that kid!! Got something big for him. Thanks. Start the search in Reno." Less than 24 hours later, Twitter helped make that happen: "Alright. Found the boy!! Talked to his father. Great guy. We talked about the situation. Apologized to him and son. Getting gift together." Way to go, Perez. Way to go.

--Ashley Mayo